Gigabyte aero 17 hdr xa review in Spanish (full analysis)

For today we have the review of the Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA, a laptop aimed at content creators clearly. This is first demonstrated by its impressive hardware, with Intel Core i9-9800HK and Nvidia RTX 2070 inside, although we have a version with RTX 2080 for hipsters. And second for its 17.3-inch IPS screen with 4K resolution and X-Rite Phantone calibration certificate .

And it is not all, because we have Wi-Fi 6, RGB Fusion backlight keyboard and much more that we will see throughout this review.

But first, we must thank Gigabyte for their collaboration with us by temporarily transferring their products to us for these analyzes. Without further ado, let's get started!

Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA technical characteristics

Unboxing

Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA has come to us in a presentation that is exactly the same as that of the other laptops of the brand. In this way we have a good quality rigid cardboard box packaging that only has a silkscreen in black and orange that distinguish the manufacturer's colors. It can be transported perfectly, since it has its own plastic handle.

We open the box and what we have is the laptop placed in a black textile bag and in turn well supported by two very thick polyethylene foam molds. Right next to it we have another box with the rest of the elements.

In total, we should find the following:

• Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA laptop External power supply and power cord Instruction manual and warranty Thermal pads to install a second M.2 SSD

Exterior design

In case you have not seen it or do not remember it well, we leave you a link with the review of the Gigabyte AERO 15 OLED, for the always fact that in terms of aesthetics, and also in specifications, they are practically the same. Of course, in this case we are dealing with the 17-inch model, so the measurements rise to almost 40 cm long and 27 cm deep. Fortunately, the thickness remains practically the same, at just 21 mm.

Like the other models, this AERO maintains its conservative design and style with simple lines and distinctive multiple edges on the front and sides. All the equipment in its outer area is made of aluminum by means of an extrusion process, in order to mold the metal to the desired shapes. We only have this matte black color available, which is somewhat conservative and not very daring, but it is the identity of the range.

In the same way, we have a lighting system on the outer logo of the cover, which in this case will be a white LED, which only illuminates the letters. After opening it, we are going to see how extremely thin its screen is, although somewhat thicker than the 15.6-inch models, with about 6 mm counting the edges. The useful surface rises to more than 90% of the front, with top and side frames of only 6 mm and 25 mm bottom.

Like all IPS panels, the manufacturer has maintained in this Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA a high quality and solvency anti-glare finish on the screen. On such a wide and thin screen, it is important to look at its torsion. The one of this equipment is sufficiently rigid, although again we recommend always pushing from the center to open and close, and thus avoid bleeding from appearing in the corners of the laptop.

The hinge system is the one that they are also implementing in the new models, with two small fasteners on both sides with a medium / low hardness that allows us to easily rotate the screen. The system is much better than the complete hinge, by leaving the entire rear area free and facilitating the exit of hot air to the outside.

Placing ourselves in the rear area of ​​the Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA, we see that the completely free air vents have not increased compared to the 15-inch models. Of course, the rest of them are semi-open, with a mesh of small holes so that at least it lets out some air . Having such a powerful processor, I think these openings could have been complete.

Ports and connections

Now we are going to place ourselves on the sides of this laptop to see how many and how the connection ports are distributed. We will again observe that in both places there are openings to expel more hot air from the interior. The distribution of these ports does vary substantially compared to other models, so let's first see what we have on the right side:

• USB 3.1 Gen1USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3HDMI 2.0USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Power Jack for External Source

On this side we just have to take into account that the USB with the lightning symbol will be the one that Thunderbolt 3 has at 40 Gbps (obvious). While the other will be the slowest, so to speak, and it comes from the graphics card to support resolutions up to 8K @ 60 FPS

Let us now turn to see the left side:

• SD Card Reader UHD-II2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A RJ-45 port ethernet2x 3.5mm Jack for audio output and microphone input

Although they are distributed differently, the ports are the same as in other models. Note that all "normal" USBs are Gen1 instead of Gen2, and that the card reader is next generation, so it supports speeds of up to 300MB / s.

We still have to put it on its back to see what we find in its belly. And we will not find anything different from the rest, its casing is made of aluminum, and it has a huge opening with a dust filter that lets us see much of its interior and allows air to enter perfectly for the two turbine fans that we have.

Display and calibration

We leave the physical characteristics of the Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA behind to focus now on what it offers inside and integrated peripherals. First, we will talk about its screen, or at least what the manufacturer lets us know.

We then have a screen with a 17.3-inch LG IPS technology panel that gives us a native resolution of no less than 4K (3840x2160p) in traditional 16: 9 format. The response time is 5 ms, and its refresh rate is no less than 144Hz, a lot of power and power for this spectacular screen.

And it is not all, since being a team oriented not only to gaming, but to design, we have VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, and consequently peaks of up to 400 nits of brightness. And eye to the measurements that we have obtained during the calibration, because they have been exceeded up to 600 nits, there is nothing. On the color space, this screen is 100% Adobe RGB, a space that far exceeds the traditional sRGB, which makes it ideal for graphic design. And as a cherry on the cake, it is certified by the entity X-Rite Phantone as a screen with a Delta E less than 1. This means that the colors represented on the panel will be so similar to the real ones that the human eye will not be able to tell them apart.

An interesting aspect for the user is that from the Gigabyte Control Center program, in the “Manager” section we can activate or deactivate the Phantone X-Rite function to adjust the colors to their maximum quality. If we go to the screen configuration we can see that an ICC color profile is loaded as image and color configuration, this will be precisely the one with this high-quality calibration.

Calibration

We have run some calibration tests for this IPS 4K panel with our Colormunki Display colorimeter, which is also X-Rite certified, and free HCFR software. With these tools we will analyze the color graphics of the screen in the DCI-P3 and sRGB spaces, and we will compare the real colors with the palette considered ideal to determine how your Delta E calibration is.

All the color tests have been carried out with a brightness of 50%, which is what has been used for the factory calibration. Along with this, we have entered the Control Center and have activated the function that we have told about Phanton X-Rite, in order to have the maximum available benefits.

Brightness and Contrast

Let's start with its brightness and contrast, which are spectacular as we see in the screenshots. Performing a contrast test, we have a result of 1, 563: 1, which is quite a high figure for an IPS panel, which shows the quality. As we do not have contrast data provided by the manufacturer, we cannot buy it.

As for the brightness, measured in cd / m ² or nits, we are facing really high figures. Recall that it has DisplayHDR 400 certification, but by maximizing the brightness on the screen, we have reached more than 600 nits in many places. It may be in certain units, or not, but it could be worth it to have an HDR600 certification.

SRGB color space

For the color comparison table in this space, we have obtained a Delta E = 3.75, which is certainly not low. This is because the color palette in is exactly the same as the one used by Phantone, or the brightness level has been influenced a bit. However, in other models we have obtained fabulous results, and we have followed the same guidelines. In any case, the calibration graphs fit very well to the reference ones, demonstrating the quality of the panel.

HCFR does not have the Adobe RGB color space, although it does have its basic variant, and we observe that we comply with it more than enough. In fact, that pattern with the triangle more inclined to the left is typical of the Adobe space.

DCI-P3 color space

In this check, the Delta improves considerably to 2.29, demonstrating once again the good calibration with the parameters that we have selected. We only show the different graphs in this new space, since the others will be exactly the same as for the previous case.

Web camera, microphone and sound

After seeing the excellent quality of the screen of this Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA, it is time to see once again the webcam of a laptop. And with fear of repeating ourselves more than garlic, we found a sensor that captures both images and videos at a maximum resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels (0.9 MP) and at a speed of 60 FPS. If you remember the minimum screen frames we had, it is for a simple reason, and that is that the camera is located at the bottom of the computer, not even on the screen.

We do not consider it to be the most suitable place, since we will not be able to adjust its position by moving even the screen, but we would have to do by moving the entire equipment. Also, we will not avoid the double chin effect when we are in the middle of a video conference or something similar. Let's not forget that we can hide this camera with the button we have, thus avoiding having to glue the mythical pieces of paper with zeal. We leave you as usual a couple of images so you can see how it unfolds.

There are no surprises in the microphones either, with a dual matrix setup on both sides of the camera. We are satisfied with the captured audio quality, notably of a better level than the camera, even at fairly wide distances of about 3 or 4 meters maximum. This causes a large number of sounds to be captured around us, although something can be avoided with its unidirectional pickup pattern.

With the upper image we finish the basic multimedia section showing one of the two speakers that we have integrated 2W RMS each. It may seem that the size or configuration of the cone is not important, but nothing is further from reality. And it is that the sound it gives us is very clear even at high volumes and also with a better bass level than oval speakers. These will be connected to a Realtek audio card as in 99% of current models.

After the hardware, we have the Nahimic technology, which will show its maximum utility if we connect headphones to the 3.5 Jack. Thanks to the Nahimic 3 software, we will be able to obtain a fairly advanced and detailed configuration about the sound system, and we can even activate the virtual surround mode for the headphones. This technology will also be activated for Bluetooth, HDMI and USB headsets .

Touchpad and keyboard

Referring again to the recently reviewed AERO OLED, the Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA features the exact same touchpad and keyboard specification. This a priori means that we will get exactly the same experience, if it weren't for the fact that now we have a lot more space to put our hands and work better. We repeat then with a keyboard in full configuration, and fortunately, with a double-size Enter key which I personally appreciate very much.

All the extra functions are located on the F keys, with the possibility to turn down and increase the volume and brightness of the screen, mute the speakers, touchpad block, turn Wi-Fi or screen on or off, etc. One that will be quite interesting is the maximum performance function for the fans, in case we need an extra RPM when the equipment is too hot.

This keyboard is the manufacturer's highest-performance keyboard, with fairly close together island-type keys that make the keyboard much faster and more comfortable in my liking. In addition, the travel is minimal, just 2.5 or 3 mm with N-Key Rollover function of up to 80 keys, ideal for gaming, for example. It implements the Gigabyte RGB Fusion 2.0 lighting technology that supports different animations and individual lighting settings for each key thanks to the Control Center.

We have good news for security as Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR includes a fingerprint sensor built into the touchpad and compatible with Windows Hello. This is directly located on the touch panel, in its left corner, so we can activate biometric hardware authentication and give that extra security to the equipment. We can complement this with the TPM function to enable hardware encryption.

The touchpad is also the same one used in other AEROs, one built by ELAN and compatible with Windows 10 Precision Touchpad. In fact, as standard we have activated and perfectly working gestures, a range of 17 functions that two, three and even four fingers to control basic aspects of the system.

In this unit at least, the touchpad has given me a little different sensations than the OLED and some other laptops. This is because I notice the click zone a little harder than usual and a very small gap on the left side. Maybe it's because it is a laboratory equipment, because it has only happened to me with this one. In any case, I have not found any type of lag or inaccuracies in the movement through the 4K panel of the laptop.

Network connectivity

The network configuration is also the same as the OLED, complete and very good, but on a computer with an i9-9980HK processor we can ask for even a little more. Specifically in the wired network configuration, because we have an Intel Killer E2600 gaming variant card that gives us a bandwidth of up to 1000 Mbps. Perhaps this time it would make a little more sense to put the highest version, the Killer E3000 with 2.5 Gbps for enthusiasts.

For wireless connectivity we have good news, since we have a team as a client working on the IEEE 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6 standard thanks to the M.2 card. Specifically, it is the Intel Killer AX1650 model, based on the AX200NGW, although with a clear optimization for gaming. In numerical terms, we have a bandwidth of up to 2, 404 Mbps on the 5 GHz frequency in a 2 × 2 connection with MU-MIMO and OFDMA, and more than 700 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz frequency. To achieve these values We will need a router that implements this protocol, otherwise we will automatically go down to the traditional 802.11ac and we will be limited to 400 Mbps at 2.4 GHz and 1.73 Gbps at 5 GHz.

The card has support for Bluetooth 5.0 LE, and the possibility of managing the wired or Wi-Fi connection with the Killer Control Center software. We can install it directly from the Microsoft Store for free, and we will not see it because it is more than known.

Internal and hardware features

We still have to see the characteristics of its main hardware, which this time very, very powerful in the Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA. Let's start by opening it, removing absolutely all the screws that we have on the bottom cover. Be careful, because we will lose the guarantee if we do, and we recommend starting by pulling from the edge next to the RJ-45 Ethernet port.

Here we have the most radical version of processor that Intel has built for laptops. We are talking about an Intel Core i9-9980HK, yes, the K means that it has the multiplier unlocked, although we do not know why, because the warm-up will not let us overclock it. For users who can't access this colossal model, they can find it with the i7-9750H, a 6-core processor predecessor to the 8750H.

This CPU works at a base frequency of 2.40 GHz and no less than 5.00 GHz in turbo boost mode. A 9th generation wonder that also has 8 cores and 16 processing threads under a TDP of only 45W and a L3 cache of 16 MB. It supports a maximum of 128GB of DDR4 RAM, although the laptop only has two slots available, providing a bus width of 41.8GB / s. As a mere anecdote, it has integrated graphics Intel HD 630 at 1.25 GHz.

But who could want the integrated graphics? Nobody, because we have a dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics card in this review option. Although if we still think that it is little, the AERO 17 HDR YA model has a beautiful RTX 2080 Max-Q. In case you do not remember its basic specs, we have 2304 CUDA Core, the same as in the desktop version, and Tensor and RT cores to do Ray Tracing and DLSS. The processing frequency is between 885 MHz and 1305 MHz at maximum performance to give 144 TMUs and 64 ROPs. Along with this, there are 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, although in the portable version they work at 12 Gbps instead of 14.

These powerful chips are directly soldered onto a motherboard with an Intel HM370 chipset, the highest spec available to date. This model will come with 16 GB of Samsung DDR4 RAM at 2666 MHz frequency. It will be divided into two 8 GB modules to take advantage of the Dual Channel function, although we can always update up to a maximum of 64 GB.

And with so much processing power, what do you think will be the chosen storage? Well, it is an individual Intel SSD 760p 512 GB drive, which works under PCIe 3.0 x4 interface under NVMe protocol at about 3230 MB / s in sequential reading and 1625 MB / s in sequential writing in theory. We would have preferred a drive of at least 1TB to be able to save more games, although we can always expand the space thanks to a second available M.2 slot. We will not have space for 2.5 inch mechanical hard drives.

Refrigeration

The cooling system was improved by Gigabyte to implement equipment with the new 9th generation Intel processors, which is called Supra Cool 2. This update came with a system provided with 4 copper heatpipes, where two of them share CPU and GPU, while a third is divided in two so that the heat of both chips is added in the center. At both ends we have two huge turbine fans with 71 blades that suck in a surprising amount of air, and that bathe small double heatsinks located just at the side and rear outlets.

The system on the Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA works quite well even with these two powerful chips, although we have the advantage that the space is greater than that of a 15.6-inch laptop. The heatsinks are somewhat larger and the breathing is much better. For example, this same system on smaller laptops generated a small hissing noise at the air outlet, while now you hear absolutely nothing, the result of better circulation. In the test battery we will leave you the details regarding temperatures and thermal photos.

With the Control Center management software we will have a Dashboard to see the performance of our hardware in real time, such as CPU, GPU, memory and SSD. The same happens with the heatsink, being able to establish automatic or personalized profiles of performance whenever we want, in order to improve efficiency. We recommend the gaming profile if we plan to give the team a lot of fun, otherwise a somewhat more relaxed profile will improve consumption and noise.

Autonomy and food

The energy storage specification that has been mounted on this 17.3 ”model is exactly the same as on the 15.6 inch ones. We are talking about a 6200 mAh lithium-ion battery that delivers 94.24 Wh of power. When we buy this one other AERO, we will have factory-enabled support with Microsoft Azure AI. Basically it is about keeping the laptop connected to the Microsoft artificial intelligence cloud so that it manages energy efficiency automatically and learning from our use of the Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA.

As always, we have carried out an autonomy test with the screen at 40% brightness, the Azure artificial intelligence function activated and doing basic work, such as watching video over the network, or writing this review. In total, it has lasted us about 4 hours almost exactly, a few minutes less. It's pretty much what we expected, as the 15.6-inch OLED versions hold about two and a half hours longer. It is improvable, we have no doubt, because there is space in the laptop to put at least 400 mAh more.

Game performance tests

We go on to see the performance tests of the Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA. All of them have been done with the high performance power profile, the connected external power supply and the Gaming cooling profile. And remember to have the AI ​​Gaming & Professional option activated.

SSD performance

Let's start with the benchmark to the unit in this solid Intel 760p of 512 GB, for this we have used the CristalDiskMark 6.0.2 software.

This SSD model from Intel is far from the performance that is theoretically assured. What's more, we are 1000 MB / s below what was promised, and the same occurs in other models that use them. At least in writing it does, although in the market they have a much better performance.

CPU and GPU benchmarks

Let's see below the synthetic test block. For this we have used Cinebench R15, R20, PCMark 8 and 3Dmark in the Time Spy, Fire Strike and Fire Strike Ultra tests.

It should be borne in mind that each laptop will have different specifications, so the comparison will be subjective and as a mere reference guide. With the specification of each model you can identify the hardware that is installed.

Temperatures

The stress process to which the Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA has been subjected has taken around 60 minutes, in order to have a reliable average temperature.

Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA	Repose	Maximum performance	Maximum performance + maximum cooling
CPU	43 ºC	88 ºC	85 ºC
GPU	41 ºC	87 ºC	79 ºC

As we discussed before, the fact of having more space to cool, has led to better temperatures even with a much more powerful CPU than the i7-9750H of other models. And we can still get an extra if we increase the speed of the fans to the maximum.

Similarly, thermal throttling has made an appearance, but very rarely compared to what was seen in other reviews. This is phenomenal news in order to get the most out of the equipment when we need it.

Final words and conclusion about Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA

The dripping of laptops does not stop, and we come to the end of another review in which we will take stock of a Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA that is simply a bad beast. Few teams have tested hardware as powerful as this, as it mounts an 8-core Core i9-9980HK that performs almost like the brand's best desktop processors. The FPS obtained with the combination of the Nvidia RTX 2070 are among the best that we can find, only surpassed by the “YA” specification with the RTX 2080.

A CPU that also draws muscle thanks to very solvent and quite silent cooling this time. We have very little throttling and this will allow us to support a large number of simultaneous processes at maximum performance, which I consider to be one of its great advantages. Of course, a larger SSD would not have gone wrong, because 512 GB is rather little.

We recommend that you take a look at our guide to the best laptops on the market

We must also cite the screen as a differential aspect, since these HDR versions only have a 17.3-inch 4K panel with Phantone X-Rite certification. So it is a serious option for professional designers and content creators. Of course, perhaps we need to refine the panel calibration a little more, since the Delta E is still improvable.

Regarding autonomy, having a battery equal to that of 15.6-inch models has not benefited much. We have obtained an average of 4 hours doing simple tasks and a rather basic use, so a full working day will not be possible under any circumstances.

For the rest, there is not much more to say, continuous design and other specifications similar to other models of the manufacturer. An example is its keyboard, touchpad, sound, and network connectivity. This Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA is currently at about $ 3, 200 USD, about 2890 euros in exchange. Due to its power and its good set, for our part it is a recommended purchase for enthusiasts.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ PERFORMANCE WITH I9-9980HK CPU AND RTX 2070 GPU	- LITTLE AUTONOMY
+ RECOMMENDED FOR ENTHUSIASTIC DESIGN OR GAMING	- REFRIGERATION STILL IMPROVABLE
+ 4K HZ 4K DISPLAY WITH PHANTONE
+ LITTLE THROTTLING AND GOOD REFRIGERATION
+ WI-FI 6, FOOTPRINT SENSOR AND REST OF QUALITY PERIPHERALS

The professional review team awards you the platinum medal and recommended product:

Gigabyte AERO 17 HDR XA

DESIGN - 88%

CONSTRUCTION - 91%

REFRIGERATION - 90%

PERFORMANCE - 96%

DISPLAY - 95%

92%

High-level features on all sides